


Café Crema Drabble: Destress

by WhereAnaWrites



Category: MCU, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: ALL THE FLUFFEST OF FLUFF, F/M, Implied Smut, Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2019-07-10 13:22:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15950213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhereAnaWrites/pseuds/WhereAnaWrites
Summary: Bucky just wants to destress his girl





	Café Crema Drabble: Destress

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I'm back with a little drabble of Cafe Crema :)  
> Enjoy!

Charlie is going to pull her hair out, Bucky can just see it. Her fingers are gripping the roots of her hair by her temples, the skin pulled taut and she looks close to tears. Her hazel eyes are shimmering in the white fluorescent lights of her office. She’s hunched over her desk, staring at the computer screen in front of her. Her cell phone keeps vibrating loudly on the surface of her desk, and Charlie’s left eye physically twitches.

Only a few seconds after the buzzing stops before her office phone is ringing. Charlie releases her hair, caramel colored strands slipping through her fingers as she pinches the bridge of her nose. When she sighs, it’s loud, long and exasperated. Her eyebrows furrow briefly, a sure sign of soon to be tears.

Bucky wanted to surprise her at work. He even stopped by Ella Café for their new roasted red pepper and smoke Gouda soup. Charlie had raved about it to him for days after Pete tested the new lunch menu item on them. Bucky clutches it now in a white bag, but Charlie hasn’t even noticed him yet. When he came to Loving Arms, after greeting the children, he went to her office about to knock on the door frame, when her expression stopped him.

Seeing his girlfriend of eight months look like this feels like Hulk sucker punched him in the chest. Bucky has only ever seen Charlie close to tears once, has actually shed a few after she had a bad dream while she spent the night at his apartment. She dreamt about the  _Incident_  but this time, the children never came back.

Bucky had comforted her as her beautiful eyes filled with tears, had held her tight as she softly released them against his bare chest. He had wrapped her up in the fuzzy maroon blanket he keeps on the sofa because it’s her favorite and he bought it just for her. He had made hot chocolate with marshmallow fluff and cinnamon then pretended to trip just to make her laugh. He had kissed her forehead softly, promising that he was there for her. Then, about an hour into _Breakfast at Tiffany’s_ (because it’s her favorite movie and makes her feel better even when the sad parts come on) Charlie had fallen back asleep, her head resting on Bucky’s lap as he ran his fingers through her silky hair. Later that morning, Charlie had thanked him, saying that just being there for her was enough to make her feel better.

This time, Bucky isn’t sure if his presence and gift of soup will be enough. So, he marches right over, just as Charlie picks up the phone, and presses his finger down on the receiver. It ends whoever was on the other line and Charlie blinks up at him, looking a little startled. Her shoulders drop, and a small smile graces her pink lips as she places the phone back down.

“Bucky.” Charlie sighs almost in relief; it sounds fond. “What are you doing here?”

He holds up the bag. “I wanted to surprise you with some _Goud_ -a soup. But I think I have a better idea.”

A breathy chuckle escapes her mouth. “Was that a pun?”

“It was, because I know puns make you laugh.” Bucky says, smiling. He places the bag down then offers his hand to her. “Care to join me?”

A flash of confliction crosses her face. “I’m busy with planning this event and this person in charge of the venue is-“

Bucky cuts her off by grabbing her hand and kissing her knuckles. “Come with me, Lotts.”

Charlie’s eyes narrow slightly. “You only call me Lotts when you feel bad.”

He laughs, gently pulling her up. She goes without resistance. “That’s not true.”

The new nickname he gave her just slipped out one time, and he sort of liked the sound of it.

“Okay fine, you did in bed that one time when I-“

“Children’s Center, Charlotte.” Bucky scolds playfully poking her nose and trying to keep his cheeks from blushing. He remembers how steamy that night got.

She shrugs casually. “They’re too busy fawning over Spider-Man.”

“Parker’s here?”

“It took me four months to make the connection that he’s Spider-Man. Anyway, it’s summer and Peter tells me it’s because he genuinely loves spending time here.” She leans closer and whispers. “But I think he’s got a crush on the new OT.”

Bucky pulls her closer, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Or on you.”

Charlie kisses his jaw. “Only have eyes for you, Just Bucky.”

He smiles at her, his heart still swelling with warmth after eight months. He’s about to respond when Dave interrupts them.

“Hey man.” He greets Bucky with a nod, then his eyes turn sympathetic to Charlie. “The owner for the venue is on the phone for you. He’s demanding to talk to you.”

Just like that, the mood Bucky was trying to put Charlotte in crumbles. Her body slumps against his chest before she’s pulling back. He notices her jaw shift as she grinds her teeth and her left eyelid twitches again.

“Tell him Charlie stepped out for lunch or had an emergency or something.” Bucky speaks up, silently pleading with her boss. “I’m taking her out of the office before she pops a blood vessel.”

“I’m not that stres-“

“Done.” Dave cuts off whatever Charlie was scoffing about. “Don’t bring her back until her eye stops twitching, Barnes.”

Bucky rubs his hand soothingly across her back as Charlie covers her left eye with a pout.

“Promise.”

Dave waves as he leaves them. Bucky proceeds to shove his girlfriend out of her office and down to the lobby. She gave him a bit of a challenge, or so he lets her believe, as she dead weights him on the way down. She perks up when she sees his motorcycle though. He mounts the seat first, then helps her do the same.

“Where are you taking me?” Charlie questions as she settles on the bike.

Bucky passes the helmet to her. “You’ll see.” He smiles, kicking the stand up.

“Bucky?”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

He turns to look over his shoulder, but her expression makes him twist around. She looks timid, unsure of herself and Bucky has rarely seen Charlie look this way. It tugs at his heart, makes his stomach heat up with anger at the person making her this stressed, this unconfident. Bucky quickly places his hands on either side of her face, swiping his thumbs along her cheeks. He leans forward and softly kisses her lips. He keeps it tender, just wants to convey comfort to her through this small connection.

“I’m here for you, baby.” He whispers as he pulls back. He tucks a few strands of her hair behind her ear. “It’ll be okay.”

“Thank you.” Charlie murmurs. She brings her right hand up to squeeze around his vibranium fingers. “Now let’s start this beauty up, babe.”

Bucky chuckles and complies.

 

** 

“Your Zen garden Bucky?” Charlie breathes out, shaking her head. “This is your special place. I can’t-“

“It became _our_ special place on our first date, Charlotte.” Bucky corrects her, handing her the rake. “Sharing this with you wasn’t a one time thing. Plus, I haven’t been up here since...well. You.”

“Me?” The confusion on her face is endearing.

“Yes,” He answers. He brings his hand up to the back of her head, tucking her closer to his chest, and  kisses her temple. “I haven’t really felt too much anxiety or the need to de-stress since dating you.”

Bucky feels her breath shudder against his shirt. He wonders how Charlie will react when he finally confesses how absolutely, head over heels in love with her he is. He came to that realization one month ago, when he caught her dancing around his kitchen in his red Henley shirt and no pants, with the coffee pot in her hand. But he thought it was still too soon in their relationship to voice his feelings, so he swallowed the abrupt wave of emotions at the time.

However, he wasn’t afraid to voice it to Steve, and Tony just happened to pass by right at that moment. He stopped to give his input, saying; " _The sooner your love struck self confesses, the better, Barnes. Don’t wait years like I did with Pepper. I’m positive that ray of sunshine loves you back.”_

It was the nicest thing Stark had ever said to him.

“You, Sergeant Barnes,” Charlie speaks up, pulling Bucky out of his reverie, “are incredibly sweet.”

Then she kisses his mouth quickly and takes the rake. Bucky smiles at her, and he can’t help how soft it feels on his face. He sits down on one of the chairs off to the side, content to watch his girl. He begins to see the tension melt from her shoulders, can see her jaw relax and her breathing even out. Vaguely, he thinks about other ways to help her de-stress and unwind.

It includes making her dinner, maybe opening that bottle of red wine said was her favorite (Bucky stocked up on it. Even got a confession out of Charlie when he asked about expensive wines. When he looked the name up, it was six figures and he had to refresh the page a few times. Then he hunted Tony down asking if he heard of such a thing. To then Tony made a trip out to his wine cellar in the city at his private home, coming back with the bottle in his hand. _“Save it for your wedding.”_ He had said. Bucky has it hidden safely away in the back of his closet. For future purposes.)

“Why is this one so heavy?” Charlie asks.

Bucky blinks himself back to reality, laughing as Charlie pouts at him until he comes over to help with the rock she’s pointing at. Maybe he can try his hand at making tiramisu again, since his first attempt had Charlie on the floor in giggles. Then maybe they can cuddle on his couch, watching those _Planet Earth_ documentaries, or that _Hidden Figures_ movie she had mentioned. Charlie promising it was a fantastic movie about the race to space and the three amazing African-American woman who helped America get there. Mainly because she had figured out how much Bucky tends to geek out over anything space related.

“It’s not heavy, you silly dame.” Bucky teases as he picks it up.

“No. But you’re wearing short sleeves today and your arms are quite a sight.” Charlie smirks slyly.

Bucky laughs. Or, maybe he can lay his girl down, and make her unwind in several other ways. Make her feel better, pleasure her until she forgets the stress of work and collapses boneless and sedated against his bed. Then he can place delicate kisses along her overheated skin, hoping to convey his love for her through his touch.

“Alright, big boy, stop flexing those arms.” Charlie teases, gently smacking his ass as he passes by.

Bucky drops the rock in a random spot, spinning around. He wraps his arms around her waist picking her up. Charlie squeals in laughter, dropping the rake and supports her hands on his shoulders.

“You saucy little thing.” Bucky growls with mirth.

Charlie runs her fingers through his hair, just a little shorter now that he trimmed it a few days ago. She had begged him not to cut it too short, swearing that Maliyah would be devastated. Bucky knew 95% of that statement was a lie.

“Put me down, klutz. I still don’t trust you won’t drop me.” She says with absolutely no heat.

Bucky raises his right eyebrow as a challenge. His goal here is to make Charlie forget her work day, so. Bucky adjusts his grip, makes sure he won’t hurt her, then promptly falls back. He hits the soft sand, keeping the majority of Charlie’s body on top of his.

“Oh my god, you little shit!” Charlie cackles. “Did you just do that to prove a point!?”

Bucky goes to answer her, but she falls against his chest, overcome with laughter. Her legs slip between his, and her face is pressed against his sternum. Her entire body is shaking with giggles, and Bucky can’t help but laugh along. He gently slips his fingers under her shirt, stroking her warm skin.

“I did it to make you laugh.” Bucky answers belatedly, after they stopped laughing. Now they’re just snuggling in the sand of his garden. “I wanted to make you feel better. You looked so stressed.”

Charlie sighs again, but in content this time. “I am. I was. You are, dammit.” She laughs. “I mean, you’re making me feel a lot better.”

Bucky feels her shift and suddenly Charlie is straddling his hips, leaning over him. “You’ve got sand in your hair, silly Sergeant.”

He flashes his most goofy smile at her, slipping his hands down her thighs.

She snorts. “Dork.”

Clenching his abs, Bucky sits up, connecting their lips once more. He kisses her softly, but deeply, because he recently went on a mission for a week and has only seen Charlie twice since he got back. It’s why he surprised her today, only to find his girl on the verge of a breakdown. He pulls back, resting his forehead against hers as she pants lightly.

“You’re the most beautiful person in the world, Charlotte Danes.”

“You sit on a throne of lies, Bucky Barnes.” She kisses his nose though. “Thank you. For that, for this. I really appreciate it. I love that you always want to make me feel better.”

Love. Bucky swears he falls in love her all over again, every second, every day. He pushes those thoughts away for now.

“I just like making you smile.” He tells her truthfully. “Are you finished, or did you want to start over? I kinda ruined your work.”

Charlie glances around the garden for a moment. “I’m done. I kind of just want to spend the day with my boyfriend.”

“I was hoping for that.”

 

***

Bucky ends up bringing Charlie to Central Park. They end up taking a leisurely stroll, fingers laced together, or arms wrapped around each other. At one point, Bucky ends up carrying her on his back, and the steady, relaxed rhythm of her breathing makes him smile. He hopes she’s forgotten about the venue owner she had been dealing with. He tells her about the mission, and how him and Clint had to sneak in through a vent at one point. He also tells Charlie that Clint somehow found a freshly brewed pot of coffee the next day and began drinking from it like it was his own and not the enemy’s.

“Clint Barton is my hero.” Charlie states in admiration, her hand over her heart.

“What does that make me?” Bucky questions playfully.

Charlie stops him in the middle of the park, her legs around his hips and arms hugging his chest. She moves her hand over his heart, feels her lips graze his left ear.

“ _My_ _soldier_.”

The way she says it, soft and sultry, shoots fire down his spine and he twitches in his jeans. It doesn’t help when her teeth gently nips at the joint of his jaw. Bucky quickly glances around, finds a large tree off the path and heads that way. Once he’s there, he leans back, Charlie hopping off his back, only for him to grab her waist, spin her around until her back presses against the trunk of the tree and kisses her senseless.

 

***

Despite it being the middle of summer and the stupid hot weather outside, Bucky still bundles Charlie up in that fuzzy blanket. He carefully hands her the glass of wine, the cheaper one, then goes back to finish cooking dinner. He’s trying his hand at this breaded chicken with cheese sauce Charlie had shown him. They eat in content silence, with the TV playing reruns of a sitcom Charlie had picked in the background. The meals seems to be a hit, for his girl keeps smiling at him like he just fed her a five-star dinner. Bucky insists that she stay put as he cleans by himself, kissing her once to silence her protests. He tells her to pick a movie if she wants as he loads the dish washer.

They’re halfway through the movie, empty container of cannoli’s since they stopped at an Italian bakery, when Charlie speaks.

“Thank you, Bucky.” She whispers.

Her legs have been resting over Bucky’s lap as she leans against the pillows on the couch. He had been absentmindedly rubbing her knee under the blanket. He looks over at her and smiles, a little confused.

“For what, darling?”

She waves her hand around. “This. For today. Everything. You really did make me feel better, much more relaxed.”

Bucky can feel his smile grow. He gently squeezes her knee. “I’m so glad, baby. I hate seeing you so stressed.”

“You’re the bestest boyfriend ever.”

He chuckles and blushes. “Watch the movie, Charlie.”

Charlie pulls his left hand from under the blanket and kisses each knuckle. She intertwines their fingers, then turns her face to the movie. The film is almost over when Bucky feels her shift. She props her knees up and scoots closer.

“Hey, Bucky.” Charlie speaks quietly.

When he looks, her face is inches away from his. Bucky lifts his right hand to push her hair back, trailing his fingers over her neck.

“Charlie.” He responds.

She smiles softly at him. “I love you.”

The air is his lungs ceases. Bucky swears his heart stops beating in his chest for several minutes. Then he swears it restarts tenfold, slamming against his chest. He’s not sure if he actually blinks or has even reacted and he has to somehow make sure he isn’t dreaming. But even his dreams aren’t this beautiful and perfect.

“You don’t have to say it back, or at all.” Charlie continues shyly. She’s oblivious to the chaos of emotions inside his entire body. “I just really wanted to tell you, and let you know.”

Bucky can’t seem to find air. Is this real? It has to be real. God, he fucking hopes it’s real.

“Bucky?”

He feels her finger poke his cheek, and her touch shoots sparks down his spine. Charlie loves him. Charlie is in love with him, just like he is in love with her and he hasn’t said anything for a solid three minutes.

“Did I break you?” Then. “Oh fuck, oh god. I just made this super weird, didn’t I?”

The apprehension seeping onto her beautiful face snaps him out of it. The air finally finds it’s way back into his lungs.

“What?” Bucky says stupidly. He could smack himself right now. This isn’t how he should response to this. Why is he this inadequately stupid?

“You don’t have to say it back.” She repeats, nervously tugging her hair. “I-“

Bucky shakes his head frantically. “No. No, come here.”

He gently pulls her closer until she’s straddling his lap. Charlie bites her lip, but he uses his thumb to gently pry her lip away from her teeth.

“You didn’t make anything weird, sweetheart.” He promises, conviction in his voice.

“Are you sure? You look a little pale, and um, well. This all just goes back to what I’ve been going by lately and –“

“The whole, anything could happen like it did before, so you try to be honest and express your feelings no matter what?”

“Exactly.”

“Charlotte.” Bucky breathes, cupping both of her blushing cheeks in his hands. “I am so in love with you.”

Her eyes close briefly, bringing her hands up to wrap around his wrists. “You are?”

“Very much so.”

Then Bucky pulls her down and kisses her with everything he has to offer.

 

**********************************************************************************************************************************

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> I have been insanely stressed this past week; I moved when I didn't want to, but had to make a decision it's been rough emotionally on me, and this weekend was just mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausting so I wanted to feel better. Then my mind got to working and this drabble came out. So, I hope you liked it. At the moment, this is the only drabble for Cafe Crema....but we'll see what the future brings.
> 
> <3


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